Overview
- Several candidates have formally launched bids for mayor, including Matthew Brewer, George Cárdenas, Susana Mendoza, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley and Liam Stanton, expanding an early and crowded field.
- Quigley publicly announced his run on the radio and Brewer launched a campaign focused on affordable housing after a recent Chicago Housing Authority dispute.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson has not said whether he will seek a second term and faces weak public ratings in a poll released by a business-led PAC that reported broad disapproval and low voter support if he runs.
- The contest is centering on fiscal strain, rising violent crime, turnover in Johnson’s administration and high-profile local issues such as the future of the Bears’ stadium, which candidates are using to shape voter appeals.
- The Feb. 23, 2027 election will require a majority to avoid an April runoff, candidates must gather 12,500 valid petition signatures to appear on the ballot, and the early jockeying will shape fundraising, coalitions and city policy priorities that affect residents’ safety and housing costs.